A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes normally comprises an inner package enclosing a group of cigarettes; and a rigid outer package housing the inner package.
To preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the cigarette tobacco, it is common practice to employ a sealed inner package, which is formed by folding and heat sealing a sheet of airtight packing material featuring a reclosable cigarette extraction opening.
One problem of rigid packets of cigarettes in which the inner package is formed as described above is the tendency of the inner package to collapse after some of the cigarettes are withdrawn, thus making it difficult to extract the remaining cigarettes and, in particular, to open and close the sealing panel.